Despair
by TheBallisticKnight
Summary: When Nico Di Angelo realizes that he will have to face the nightmares of surviving Tartarus alone, he falls into a constant cycle of despair and depression. However, Leo believes Nico needs a friend to relate with, and he believes he can do the job. A random one-shot I made about mostly despair and some friendship.
**AN: All credit goes to Abel (The Weeknd) for his great music and inspiring me to write this horrid oneshot. Songs involved: Prisoner and Wicked Games. Did you enjoy it? Did you not? Drop a review that gives either constructive criticism or support and not '** _ **please-update-now-or-you shall-burn-in-Tartarus'**_ **reviews. Tell me in your reviews if you would like this to be a two-shot or if it should stay a one-shot. I'm probably not gonna listen to you if you tell me to make it a two-shot because I'm so fucking bad at fluff and friend bonding and shit.**

 _I'm addicted to a life that's so empty and so cold._

 _I'm a prisoner to my decisions..._

Screams pierced the calm fall night air. Echoing sharply, it was as if the Tartarus himself had risen from the pit to destroy. The scream was so sharp, so demonic, and so pained it struck pure terror through the hearts of those who heard it.

It was midnight at Camp, and the screams did nothing to keep the battle-weary demigods to their slumber. The second Giant war had just ended, but time did nothing to quell Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase from reliving the horrors of the pit. The campers rushed over immediately, headed by Chiron, to take care of their leaders and idols.

Standing in the shadows, Nico watched with dull, lifeless eyes. The lone son of Hades felt a pang of hurt in his cold heart. It was yet another example that showed that Nico would forever by an outcast, the lone demigod who no one loved. Sure, Percy and Annabeth and the rest of the Seven cared for him, but sometimes, he longed to be loved and treated as a hero like the rest of the Argo II crew.

Did his own father even care? Did he come by his son's side after enduring the horrors of Tartarus _alone_? Did anyone hear his screams? Nico had tried to get used to this life, but he couldn't keep it in anymore. Crumpling to his knees, the depressed demigod slammed his fists into the dirt. A lone tear slid down his face, but he quickly realized what he was doing. Wiping off the tear, his eyes reverted to their usual, cold self. Nico drew his sword and plunged it into the ground, releasing a small blast of darkness in a spherical formation.

Unfortunately for him, a few demigods noticed and turned around, glancing nervously towards the furious son of Hades. Nico saw them turn his way, stepped back into the shadows and he immediately shadow travelled into Percy's room. The least he could do is help one of the only people that loved him (as a brother) cope with something he had gone through too.

He burst out of a shadow, ending up in the Poseidon cabin where Chiron, satyrs, dryads and demigods stood helplessly by the thrashing couple who were still stuck in each other's embrace.

 _Won't even try to help, huh?_ Nico thought dryly. He stepped out of the shadow, freaking out the majority of the campers. Nico paid them no heed and blasted darkness towards the Percy and Annabeth. The demonic light in their eyes died and they fell back on their beds, clearly relaxed and back to normal, back to their slumber as if nothing had happened.

To say the campers were surprised would be an understatement. A few even stepped up and were about to probably to either call him a freak or maybe...just maybe...compliment him, but Nico threw them his infamous, lifeless stare, and they immediately shrunk back, feeling rather empty. Nico's gaze turned into a glare and he disappeared back into the shadows.

-–-–-–-

Nico reappeared outside of the forest in the shadows that forever lingered at the edge, whether the sun was out or not. The door to the Poseidon cabin was wide opened and those who entered spilled back out. He could see the campers hurrying back to their respective cabins and the dryads and satyrs leaving, but he could see a centaur lingering around, looking for someone. Honestly, it couldn't be more obvious.

Chiron wanted to _talk_ to him about his freaky show of powers.

Nico growled. Did the centaur even try to converse with him unless it was yelling at him? The son of Hades did not think so. His eyes narrowed and he ran back into the shadows.

He was going to a place not many people knew of, and not any campers knew. Chiron must have known but if he did he didn't show it. Nico's Stygian Iron sword was out, ready for any monsters that dared enter the presence of an armed, furious, depressed son of Hades.

The forest was thickening, the trees clustering closer together. The branches were slapping Nico in the forest, leaving a stinging sensation, but once a person has gone through some much pain trivial things such as this no longer hurt.

The trees had begun to become thinner and more spread apart, and Nico knew he must be close. He burst out of the treeline and into a clearing.

A small cliff lay waiting, a dozen or so metres away from the edge. It dropped abruptly into the Atlantic Ocean; a perfect hiding place, discreetly hidden from both mortals and by the looks of it, demigods too.

Nico's gaze flickered across the horizon as the moon gracefully glided past, glowing brightly but for whatever reason, it seemed dimmer. His despair drowned him, but he was used to it; drowning was better than enduring the pain forever.

It seemed almost as if his mind was beginning to slip. Strange visions and dreams plagued him at night and hallucinations attacked at sometimes during the day. Insanity was probably on its way, and there was no other person to help him get through and cope.

 _Bring your love baby I could bring my shame_

 _Bring the drugs baby I could bring my pain_

 _I got my heart right here_

 _I got my scars right here…_

The lyrics of one of Nico's favourite songs pounded in his head. The voice, the lyrics and the atmosphere of the song made it just so dark and raw it helped Nico relate.

And he wasn't sure that was a good thing.

 _Wicked Games_.

His voice began to hum along to the vulgar, surreal tone of the song as his mind wandered back to his life, one with no love, one that was so empty.

 _I'm addicted to a life that's so empty and so cold..._

And Nico loved it.

But there was an extent...Nico had nobody to love him, to hold him close.

The temperature abruptly dropped around the son of Hades, the rest of the world feeling his emotions. Cold, dark...repeated in his head...and then all Tartarus broke loose.

Nico crashed to the ground, his mind racing a thousand miles with the visions streaming through his head. His head throbbed, his mind turning blank with agony and an overload of pain. His knuckles turned white as he tightened his grip on his own hands. Fists clenching to try to override the pain, his own nails digging into his skin. Blood trickled down his cracked skin, dripping onto the floor as he reeled; the pain destroyed him from the inside.

The harrowing landscape of his tortured soul reverberated through his head. It happened everyday. Travelling through Tartarus alone with no one to cope...it was painful alright. His nerves overloaded and then as soon as it started, the pain was gone. Lying on his back, breathing heavily and feeling deadly tired, Nico managed a sigh.

Every day. He had to go through this every day. Couldn't he get a goddamn break? His mind zipped through many emotions, predominantly fury and loneliness. And apparently it was that day that would be the breaking point. He felt his mind begin to slip, the edges of his vision blurring out and darkening. Strange figures appeared near him. Ghostly wisps of darkness curled around his body as going through Tartarus alone and having no one to cope caught up to him.

With a small, humourless, dead smile, the son of Hades collapsed to the ground, lying still on his back.

-–-–-–-

The distinctive sound of the clashing of swords rang out through the forest. Travis Stoll was running as fast as his dead tired legs could carry him with his sword and shield up. A scream rang out in front of him and a hunter flew towards him. Travis yelped in surprise and stepped to the side, his shield clanging into the hunter's head. The hunter stumbled and before she could regain her wits, Travis slammed the hilt of his sword into her helmet, sending her crashing to the ground.

It was the weekly capture the flag game, and this time, the hunters were playing. The campers were so screwed. Travis was lucky that he had just faced the newest hunter; it was the young maiden's second day as a member of the Hunters of Artemis.

Travis stumbled back tiredly as the sounds of battle echoed through the forest. He didn't notice the shadow stalking towards him from behind. As Travis slowly glanced around him one last time, the shadow struck him, and the last thing he saw was the gloating face of an angry hunter before he slipped into darkness.

 **A few minutes later**

Travis' eyes slowly opened, squinting as the light blinded him even during the evening. The sounds of battle still reverberated through his throbbing skull. He shook his head. There was no way the hunters hadn't won the game yet. How long has he been out?

He was shook out of his musings when the rough, stony face of a Hephaestus camper appeared in his view.

"How long was I out? Who are you? Where is the person that knocked me out? How the hell have the hunters not won yet?" Travis fretted, spilling out questions like no tomorrow.

"Calm down, Travis, it's me, Jake. You were only out for a few minutes. Demigod strength, I guess? Well, it's a miracle. Today might actually be the day we haven't lost to the hunters. Well, at least surviving for more than thirty minutes." Jake Mason replied calmly, his sword still be his side.

Travis slowly got up, propped on his elbows and he looked around. Just behind him was a large skirmish but the hunters were heavily outnumbered here. "Jake, can I ask why almost 1/3 of our force is fighting over here? Shouldn't we be defending other flanks and stuff?"

Jake laughed nervously. "Well...about that...Nico and Percy seem to have that covered...Percy was fighting them when a seriously pissed Nico rampaged through hunters' ranks."

"Well, why hasn't he come back-" Travis started but was cut off as he saw the son of Hades step through the shadows and disappear, jumping from shadow to shadow and less than ten seconds later a cheer erupted through the forest.

And then most of the campers fainted.

Did they really just beat the hunters?

Nico Di Angelo slammed the flag into the ground and glanced around. Cheers erupted around him as the campers overcame their shock. Percy ran up to him and scooped him up in a hug.

"Great job, Neek-" Percy started but was abruptly cut off.

"What the hell did you just call me?" Nico growled, but the ghosts ( **get it...Son of Hades...dead things...heh...no? Ok then)** of a smile were lingering on his pale face, and the son of Poseidon just laughed and ruffled his hair. Nico flashed a fake smile towards Percy and sunk back into the shadows, avoiding the petty celebration of the campers.

Nico stumbled through the forest as visions flashed through his head. His hands clawed at the air as he tried to fend the hallucinations of to no avail. He was getting desperate. He crashed into a tree and held on for dear life as he could feel his sanity slipping from his grasp.

And then there was a voice, an angelic voice that seemed to reach into the very dark depths of his mind and pulled him from his own dark musings.

"Nico?" Leo's voice pierced the calm night air. The son of Hades turned around and looked wearily at Leo. Leo could sense sadness and despair radiating off the boy, and even if they weren't similar in many ways, he was sure he could help _somehow._ Engulfing the son of Hades in a hug, he pulled him closer and muttered reassuring things into his ear. Nico was sobbing, but they were becoming quieter, and Leo finally released him.

Nico turned his bloodshot eyes towards Leo, and muttered an almost inaudible _thank you_. Leo decided it was time for some cheering up.

"What was that? I couldn't exactly hear you!" Leo exclaimed, cupping a hand to his ear. A smile graced Nico's face, and the two demigods bonded over their differences and Nico thought, maybe, just maybe, he had a true friend he could relate to.

They talked through the night, discussing their past, helping each other get over it, and neither of them cared that it was past curfew.

But the harpies seemed to care very much.

 **Yea so that's some random one-shot I wrote because I was bored. Someone teach me how to fluff and I just might make a two-shot. Thanks for reading.**


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